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Protestant Reformed Churches
The Protestant Reformed Churches separated from the Christian Reformed Church in the mid-1920s. History There was considerable discussion on the issue of common grace in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) during the 1920s. Rev. Herman Hoeksema of the Eastern Avenue CRC was a leading opponent of this teaching. Synod 1924 voted to make the doctrine of common grace binding on the church and its office bearers. Hoeksema refused to agree with this teaching, as did Revs. H. Danhof and George M. Ophoff, of Hope CRC. All three men and their consistories were deposed by their classes. Coming together in January and March 1925, they decided to call themselves the Protesting Christian Reformed Churches and petition the Christian Reformed synod of 1926 to reverse its decision. Instead of reconsidering common grace, the 1926 synod declared these churches and their pastors outside of the Christian Reformed denomination. Three congregations came together in November 1926 to form a classis and choose a name for their denomination, the Protestant Reformed Churches. Although Rev. Danhof and his church soon left the federation - later to return to the CRC - Protestant Reformed churches sprang up in many Christian Reformed communities. See A Brief History of the Protestant Reformed Churches for more details. Schism Just as Rev. Hoeksema had been forced out of the CRC by refusing to acknowledge the doctrine of common grace, Rev. Hubert De Wolf was force out of First Protestant Reformed Church by Hoeksema for his teaching that anyone who believes will be saved and that "conversion is a prerequisite to enter into the kingdom of heaven." For Hoeksema, that took too much away from God's sovereignty. De Wolf and those who agreed with him formed their own denomination, the Orthodox Protestant Reformed Churches, a group that later united with the Christian Reformed denomination. Churches by Classis and City Churches marked separated 1954 are those that allied themselves with the Orthodox Protestant Reformed Churches, also known as the De Wolf Group. Classis East *Byron Center, Michigan, 1983 *Chatham, Ontario, 1950 (separated 1951) *Grand Haven, Michigan, 1936-62 *Grand Rapids, Michigan, Creston, 1932-62 *Grand Rapids, Michigan, First, organized 1879 as Eastern Ave. CRC *Grand Rapids, Michigan, Southeast (originally Fourth), 1944 *Grand Rapids, Michigan, Southwest (originally Second), 1926 *Grandville, Michigan, 1984 *Hamilton, Ontario, 1949 (separated 1950) *Holland, Michigan, First, 1929 *Hudsonville, Michigan, 1926 *Hudsonville (Bauer), Michigan, Georgetown, 1994 *Jenison, Michigan, Faith, 1973 *Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1927 *Norristown, Pennsylvania, 1989 (separated 1993) *Tallmadge Township, Michigan, Grace, 1995 *Walker, Michigan, Hope, 1925 *Wyckoff (Prospect Park), New Jersey, Covenant, 1973 Classis West *Doon, Iowa, 1926 *Edgerton, Minnesota, 1938 *Edmonton, Alberta, First, 1975 *Forbes, North Dakota, 1960 *Houston, Texas, Trinity, 1977 *Hull, Iowa, 1925 *Isabel, South Dakota, Hope, 1960 (organized 1915) *Lacombe, Alberta, Immanuel, 1986 *Loveland, Colorado, 1958 *Lynden, Washington, 1951 *Lansing (Lynwood), Illinois, Peace, 1988 *Manhattan, Montana, 1940 (separated 1954) *Oak Lawn, Illinois, 1927-69 *Orange City, Iowa, 1934 (separated 1954) *Oskaloosa, Iowa, 1928 (separated 1954) *Pella, Iowa, 1928 *Rock Valley, Iowa, 1928 (separated 1954) *Roselle, Illinois, Bethel, 1989 *Sioux Center, Iowa, 1926 (separated 1954) *Randolph, Wisconsin, 1943 *Redlands, California, Hope, 1932 *South Holland, Illinois, 1926 Churches by Year of Organization or Joining the Protestant Reformed Churches Resources *Directory of Protestant Reformed Churches *Overview of "De Wolf Group" Orthodox Protestant Reformed Churches *A Brief History of the Protestant Reformed Churches *Protestant Reformed Church and the Free Offer, Orthodox Presbyterian Church. "...the PRC differs from almost every other Reformed church on this point, many of whom would consider the PRC to have hyper-Calvinistic symptoms in this area." * The 1953 Protestant Reformed Church Split Revisited, Ted De Wolf.